Legend of Tomorrow

After the timeout, the Timberwolves attacked. Trier broke through and attracted Grant to switch defense and pass the ball to the center. Garnett squeezed out Guo Xu and made an air cut to attract O'Neal to cover the ball and passed the ball to Nesterovich. The latter's open ball was not direct. He took a shot and took an extra step to hit the basket, but O'Neal turned around and grabbed him.

Nesterovich made two free throws, 11-7. He scored, but his performance was still disappointing. The goal was not smooth, and if he was slower, he might be blocked again.

Kobe held the ball and beat Billups in isolation, but was double-teamed by Garnett in the corner.

Kobe passed the ball to Grant in the middle. Garnett pursued the ball very quickly and stepped forward to interfere. His height and wingspan can interfere even without jumping. Grant met Garnett's mid-range shot and the rebound was grabbed by Szczerbiak.

Billups received the pass and immediately rushed down. He changed direction and broke through in front of the three-point line, causing Kobe to foul.

Billups made two free throws and scored his seventh point, 11-9.

Woodson commented: The offensive efficiency of both sides was very high today. I don't think anyone would have thought that Jason Guo and Chauncey Billups would score so much at the beginning. The two of them felt hot.

Horvath smiled: Chauncy has always wanted to prove that he is not a parallel import, and he finally did it at the beginning of this season.

In 1997, Billups joined the Celtics as the No. 3 overall pick and only played 51 games in Boston before beginning a wandering career. The Green Army traded Billups because he was a recognized problem player when he was young!

During his rookie season, he caused trouble everywhere and was invited to the police station for tea. The most serious time was when he and his friend had a threesome with a woman and were accused of going to the police station. The Cardinal couldn't bear it anymore and traded him to the Raptors.

The ill-fated Billups failed to join forces with Carter, and was soon traded to the Denver Nuggets by the Raptors. After that, he was seriously injured for two consecutive seasons, and his shooting percentage in the first few seasons of his career was less than 40%.

Then he was traded to the Magic, and was abandoned again before he even played a game for the Magic. In the end, he could only defect to the Timberwolves in a bitter cold land. His position in the Timberwolves is also very embarrassing. He is obviously a point guard with a height of 191cm and a weight of 92kg, but because of the presence of Trier on the team, he is forced to take the shooting guard position.

While the Lakers were cooperating on the perimeter, Fox made a mistake. His intention to pass the ball to Kobe was too obvious. Billups successfully intercepted it and quickly passed it to Trier who was about to go down on the other side.

Guo Xu showed his speed advantage and caught up with Trier, successfully getting close to him the moment he took three steps to pull the ball.

Come on, don't try to score easily.

He knew the right move and was ready to give the opponent a big blow. Unexpectedly, as soon as he exerted his strength and before he could take off, Trier stumbled and fell to the ground, throwing the ball to the basket casually, and the referee's whistle sounded.

Guo Xu can also touch porcelain, but referees often ignore newcomers, and famous veterans like Trier are more likely to cause fouls. Guo Xu raised his hand to indicate a foul and did not talk nonsense to the referee to show his innocence. In the new season, he has no less than three fouls in every game, so he is used to it.

Trier made two free throws to tie the game. 11 to 11.

The Lakers attacked. O'Neal held the ball and attacked the basket with his back to attract double teams. He turned around in the middle and distributed the ball to the left side. Grant made a mid-range shot from the open baseline. He stepped forward and grabbed the offensive rebound and quickly shot again. Si Zebiak grabbed a defensive rebound.

The Timberwolves continued their old tactics, with the point guard holding the ball and playing pick-and-roll inside. Sanders, like Jazz coach Sloan, advocates pick-and-roll offense, but the difference is that he also emphasizes wing players running without the ball and catching and shooting. Trier has had a second spring since joining the Timberwolves from the Nuggets. He has always controlled a lot of the ball and has guaranteed playing time.

Trier and Nesterovich broke through after a pick-and-roll. Seeing that O'Neal was far away, he missed a jump shot with a sudden stop. This move is simple and difficult to block. Whether you can get a shot completely depends on the defensive attitude of the opponent's inside.

If you encounter a big man who doesn't like to switch defenses, just shoot casually.

O'Neal grabbed a defensive rebound and passed it to Guo Xu. Guo Xu advanced to the frontcourt and passed it to Kobe. Kobe caught the ball and forced a layup.

13 to 11. Guo Xu sent the first assist.

The Lakers' offense only took 5 seconds. They could occasionally play fast breaks. Kobe was out of position against Billups, and it was difficult for others to help defend during fast breaks.

The Timberwolves attacked, Trier forced O'Neal after a pick-and-roll in the middle, and missed a layup under interference. Nesterovic grabbed an offensive rebound and distributed the ball to Billups on the outside. The latter and Garnett played a pick-and-roll again, attracting Grant to switch defense and give the ball to Garnett.

Garnett faced Kobe on the right side and stepped forward to shoot a pull-up jumper. The shot point was very high and Kobe couldn't cover it, and the ball went in! 13 to 13.

When returning to defense, Garnett slammed his chest and roared to the sky. It was just a jumper, but he seemed to dunk O'Neal.

In his previous life, Guo Xu watched a lot of Timberwolves games on TV and was not impressed. Now that he has seen Garnett's jumper up close, he understands why so many fans will be so hard in the future. His iron-blooded attitude is too deliberate.

The Lakers attacked, and O'Neal's low attack attracted double teams and passed the ball to Kobe on the outside. Kobe caught the ball and made a jump shot, but Billups only interfered slightly when he pounced. 15 to 13.

Woodson said: The power of the Lakers' triangle offense is beginning to emerge. When O'Neal, Kobe, and Jason form a triangle on one side, the Timberwolves can only let the weak side double-team O'Neal, otherwise there will be good shooting opportunities.

Horvath agreed with this: Due to the additions of Jason Guo and Grant, I think the Lakers' overall strength is stronger than last season. The Timberwolves can only attack if they want to win.

Billups and Szczerbiak played an off-ball screen on the outside. After receiving the ball, he feinted to shake Fox who was changing defense. Then he rushed forward to shoot and drew a foul, and got three free throw opportunities.

Billups made all three free throws, 15-16. At this time, Jackson adjusted the lineup and Leder came on to replace Fox.

Fox was in poor condition today. He followed the turnaround without making a shot and made one mistake.

The Lakers attacked, the players pulled away, and Kobe lobbed the ball to O'Neal. This time O'Neal went deep into the basket. Without waiting for Garnett to defend, he turned around and made a one-handed dunk, knocking Nesterovich away. A stagger. 17 to 16.

When returning to defense, O'Neal celebrated with an arrogant King Step, and the audience applauded and cheered. He is the toughest player in the NBA. Among the four major centers, he is the only one who is not good at mid-range shooting. He can dominate the court just by attacking in the low post.

O'Neal's strong body, unique expression and exaggerated strides allow him to ignite the passion of the entire arena after every performance. He himself prefers to call this action elegant dance steps.

The Timberwolves continued to play pick-and-rolls and did not create mismatch opportunities. Garnett held the ball in the high post and waited for his teammates to move and distribute the ball.

Billups was entangled by Kobe and couldn't get rid of him, and Leder followed Szczerbiak. Garnett passed the ball to Trier on the left, who caught the ball and made a mid-range shot, but missed due to interference from Guo Xu's pursuit.

Grant got the rebound and passed it to Kobe in a straight line. Kobe passed the ball across the half court to Guo Xu on the right. Guo Xu took the ball and changed direction and walked to the middle. He relied on Trier to force the ball with his left hand and scored.

19 to 16, Guo Xu scored his 9th personal point, a big explosion in the first quarter.

Guo Xu and Kobe Bryant's beautiful fast break connection caused Timberwolves coach Sanders to call a timeout again. The Lakers must score almost every goal. It is not feasible to continue playing like this.